Round 5 Match Reports (2025)

The Mega Midday Show took on long-standing rivals, Albert Park, on the glorious Tony Sheehan Oval and coming off some early-season success, The Falcons were going to prove a tough contest. La Trobe started strongly around the ground with the emphasis on creating a statement early. Captain Austin ‘Aussie’ Bennett gave the Trobers some early clearances, as La Trobe great man Bryce ‘Doull’ Dowler kicked truly for the first of the day. A slight lapse in concentration and a couple of mistakes and decisions allowed Albert Park to kick two very soft goals to end the quarter in front by a point.

The second term saw some more free-flowing ball movement by both sides, where the boys were able to utilise our key game-plan components of spread, switch and overlap. The quicker ball movement allowed Ruben ‘Roo’ Cottee to demonstrate his prowess and composure by dancing around the opposition before delivering forward with precision. A move to throw Jayden ‘JJ’ Jacobson down forward to add some trademark pressure immediately resulted in the creation of a turnover from a smother in our forward pocket to assist in one of the great goals of the day. In true Albert Park fashion, tempers flared at various stages of the game, with the Trobers standing their ground proudly. Resident ratbag ‘Roo’ pounced on the opposition’s frustrations and was the beneficiary of a couple of undisciplined free kicks and 50m penalties, which gave him two valuable goals. Trobers led by 15 points at the main break.

Expecting a second-half battle, the boys started strongly, kicking another 2 goals through resident big men Alex Crockford and Cameron ‘Suga’ Marcroft. However, as the injuries started to pile up, with Sam Scala-McNeill breaking his shoulder in a tough tackle (Get well soon mate!), the Trobers felt the pressure, allowing The Falcons to kick 3 in a row to end the quarter with all the momentum, bringing them back to within 9 points at the final break.

Coach Cal Randell implored the boys to dig deep for a final 25 minutes of hard football, and that they did. A goal apiece early kept the game on a knife’s edge, before Albert Park kicked another to go 3 points down with plenty of time on the clock to capitalise. Some valiant efforts from Dylan Mitchell, composed ball use from Elliot Stevenson and clean marking and disposal from Mr. Reliable Kyle ‘Briz’ Brizzi all worked in tandem to give Bryce ‘Doull’ Dowler a shot for goal 45 metres out on a generous angle. The kick was never in doubt as the great man sealed the game for the Trobers with 2 minutes left on the clock. Skipper Austin ‘Aussie’ Bennett decided to rub salt in the Albert Park wounds by kicking another on the final siren to have the Trobers run out as 15-point victors, placing the boys a game clear, 3^rd on the table.